[ENGLISH] Unmistakable due to its parallelepiped-shaped upper section, the DHUB has been designed as a space for public use and transit that fits in with the environs. The exterior of the building makes use of only two types of materials: metal plates (zinc, cast iron and aluminium), and glass. The building's structure was dictated by the unevenness of the terrain, which consisted of a difference in level of over 7m. The storey above level +14·50m was built overhanging the square so as to take up as little ground space as possible and keep in line with the changing urban characteristics of Plaça de les Glòries.

The interior layout of the DHUB is neutral and versatile, making it adaptable to different uses in each area.

The municipally owned amenity will be the headquarters of the Design Museum, the FAD (Foments de les Arts I el Disseny) and the BCD (Barcelona Centre del Disseny), with a stable, cross-sectoral programming of various formats. The auditorium, therefore, had to be able to cater to those requirements, and so did the seating. The auditorium has the same neutral, industrial look as the rest of the spaces: oak flooring, and a ceiling of varnished, galvanised steel panels.

Two different models of seats match the industrial line of the building. The seats are not very big, they take up little space and are off-black in colour, for added neutrality. Their prime feature is their versatility in adapting to different purposes.

The challenge in this project was to make a 320-seat hall a multi-purpose space in which some of the seats could be used as comfortable workstations. In the first seven rows each seat has its own desk, despite the fact that this initially seemed inadvisable because of the inter-row spacing. However, by modifying the position of the desk by 3º, we gained an extra 35mm of space and comfort. Even with the desk, the space between rows is 536mm, when Spanish regulations call for a minimum of 300mm. In the back rows, which have no desks, the space is 635mm. Although two different models of seat have been used, it was possible to meld them aesthetically by customising the side panel of one of the models, so that they reached the floor. The result is a sober, elegant auditorium that is comfortable and easy to use, and in which the DHUB seats enhance the experience of the spectator/visitor.

For a company like Figueras International Seating, work consists of turning something that is standardised into something unique, and turning challenges into practical solutions. Alongside Oriol Bohigas and Francesc Gual (MBM Arquitectes with Josep María Martorell and David Mackay) we were given the opportunity to undertake a complete project for the seating in the auditorium of that innovative building known as DHUB.